Outgoing Republican Kentucky Representative Thomas Massie stated Sunday that his bipartisan push to release Department of Justice files on registered sex offender Jeffrey Epstein is what drove establishment politicians in Washington to target his seat.
Massie’s comments follow his defeat in Tuesday’s Republican primary election for Kentucky’s 4th Congressional District. Ed Gallrein, a farmer and retired United States Navy SEAL, won the race with 54.4% of the vote, according to The Associated Press.
Speaking on “Meet the Press” with host Kristen Welker, Massie linked his primary loss directly to his work with Democratic California Representative Ro Khanna on the Epstein Files Transparency Act. Massie was one of four House Republicans who signed a discharge petition to force a vote on the legislation, which ultimately passed the House with only a single “no” vote.
Massie argued that his ability to build a coalition across political lines on a high-profile issue made him a target for Washington insiders.
“I think the biggest crime I committed against the swamp, Kristen, was showing the American people that somebody on the right could join somebody on the left and get something done, which is releasing the Epstein files, that everybody knew needed to be done,” Massie said during the interview. “That’s probably the only bill that’s passed Washington, D.C. in the last 10 years that lobbyists haven’t written.”
The veteran lawmaker, who was seeking his ninth term in office, emphasized that the legislation was a grassroots effort rather than an establishment product.
“It was written by me and Ro Khanna, and we used the pressure of the American people to cross the aisle and get things done,” Massie said. “That’s when they decided I had to be taken out, that I was becoming effective, so they wanted to eliminate me.”
Beyond the Epstein legislation, the libertarian-leaning representative had a history of friction with the Trump administration. Massie previously broke with the former president on several key issues, including tariff policies, the “One, Big, Beautiful Bill,” and military conflict with Iran. Following these disagreements, Trump labeled Massie a “Third Rate Congressman” on Truth Social and publicly endorsed Gallrein in the primary race.
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